The rankings evaluate how schools across the country perform in the four major sports: football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball. It also accounts for one non-revenue sport.

Stanford led the rankings, followed by Michigan State, Louisville, Florida State and Baylor to round out the top five. South Carolina finished first among SEC schools with 404 points, a half point ahead of fellow SEC member LSU.

Clemson finished No. 30 with 281.5 points.

South Carolina's football team received 240 points, thanks to its No. 4 finish in the Associated Press poll and Capital One Bowl victory over Wisconsin. The women's basketball team finished with 64 points, while the baseball team had 50.

The Gamecocks finished with a high ranking despite receiving zero points from men's basketball, which finished with a 14-20 record.

CBS uses the same formula as the National Association of College Directors of Athletics, but weighs the sports differently. Football is weighed three times, while men's basketball is weighed twice. As a result, the most prominent sports are given the most importance.